


Language Genius

by Nafffy (LeFemmeChevalier)



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/F, Hirai Momo-centric, Implied Relationships, Implied Romance, Mentioned Kim Dahyun, Mild Fluff, Some Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-28
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23892880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeFemmeChevalier/pseuds/Nafffy
Summary: "Momo thinks of herself as a language genius. And as she quietly observe the two, she can't help but give herself a metaphorical pat in the back for being fluent in a language that most can't even understand."
Relationships: Chou Tzuyu/Myoui Mina, Hirai Momo/Minatozaki Sana
Kudos: 90





	Language Genius

**Author's Note:**

> Momo's POV

Momo thinks of herself as a language genius.

In a _metaphorical_ sense, of course—compared to Sana or even Mina, her fluency in Korean still needs a little bit of work. But can you really blame her? There are nuances in the Korean language that a Japanese native like her can't perfect.

Pronunciation, for one thing.

Still, Momo thinks of herself as a language genius as long as you try to _widen_ your perspective on what language entails. And the language that Momo is an expert in, besides the obvious one, is body language.

"Mina-unnie? Do you want some water?"

When the breathless Mina wordlessly took the offered bottle before taking a dainty sip, Momo can't help but see the way Tzuyu smile at her friend—the kind that is soft and gentle and tinged with warm affection.

"Good?"

"Yes. Thank you, Tzuyu."

And as the music plays on, Tzuyu hurrying back to her place after placing the bottle on one corner, Momo can't help but see the quick glance Mina threw at their youngest—with warm affection that speaks a thousand words.

And as they all twirl and whirl, laughing and whining in between as Jeongyeon kept on apologizing for missing some crucial steps, Momo can't help but see how Mina and Tzuyu gravitates to one another without even looking at each others' way.

Momo thinks of herself as a language genius. And as she quietly observe the two, she can't help but give herself a metaphorical pat in the back for being fluent in a language that most can't even understand.

* * *

Momo, regrettably, isn't always the language genius that she is today.

Unlike dancing, it's not something that she naturally picked up on the first try. Fortunately, she always has Sana by her side to teach her.

"Do you think Mina is like us?"

It was the usual day filled with practices and more practices. Momo, despite being a natural dancer that she is, is still a rookie in the world filled with professionals—it meant that she has to work as hard as everyone else. And as she took a sip from her bottle, taking a much needed break from their practice, she can't help but raise a questioning eyebrow at her friend's odd question.

"What do you mean?"

The very first time her eyes met Sana's, Momo immediately knew that they'll be together forever—although at the time, she still doesn't realize what that sentiment would eventually mean.

They have always been connected in ways that most couldn't understand. So when Sana just gave her a look in reply, Momo immediately understood. "Really?" she asked incredulously as she took another sip. "I don't think so."

The other girl just hummed in reply before becoming silent. Sana, in Momo's opinion, is the Ying to her Yang—the sound to her silence. So when the uncharacteristic silence stretched on, Momo can't help but break it. "What makes you think so? Not that I agree, of course," she added with a chuckle as she put the now empty bottle in between them.

Instead of answering, Sana asked her another question. "Do you know Chou Tzuyu?"

"Yes." Momo remembers the tall girl with a face that stands out in the crowd of JYP trainees. "What about her?"

Sana hugged her knees, looking pensive. "You know I'm in the same dorm as her, right?"

"Yes."

"Well," Sana continued, still with that pensive expression that only heightened Momo's curiosity. "I brought Mina to the dorm one day because she wanted to borrow that top. You know the one?"

She just nodded, already knowing what Sana was talking about.

"We kinda bumped into Tzuyu. She's with that older girl. Yoo Jeongyeon, I think?"

Momo just hummed, remembering the Korean girl.

"Apparently, Mina knows Jeongyeon so they chatted a bit. And... I don't know."

Sana, In Momo's opinion, is the Ying to her Yang—the push to her pull. So at times when the other girl is pulling away, unsure of what to say, Momo will be the one to push instead. "You don't know what?"

"It's just... I've never seen Mina look at someone in that way before."

Momo's eyebrows furrowed at the statement. "You mean Jeongyeon?"

Sana shook her head. "Tzuyu," she clarified and Momo just nodded. "I've never seen Mina look at anyone like how she looked at her." She paused before looking at Momo with a serious expression. "Ever."

Momo, despite herself, chuckled at the other girl's dramatic flair. "Maybe she finds Tzuyu pretty. Like you and I do," she reasoned.

"Maybe." Sana then stood up and started stretching. "Do you really not think she's like us?"

Momo, realizing that break time is over, just shrugged and stood up before stretching as well. "Mina is a nice girl and we both like her, yes, but we still don't know her well enough to conclude anything."

Sana just nodded as their stretching progressed into warm-ups. And when it was time for Momo's dance practice, she did her hardest—because Momo, despite being on a level that no other trainees can ever touch, still has to work hard like everybody else.

Momo isn't always the language genius that she is today. Fortunately, Sana is there to teach her—because when, a few days later, Mina is with them and the trio bumped into Jeongyeon and Tzuyu, she finally saw what Sana is talking about.

And as she observe the way Mina look at this tall girl they all think is the prettiest among them, she thinks that maybe Sana has a point: Myoui Mina really doesn't look at anyone like how she looks at Chou Tzuyu.

* * *

Momo, aside from being a language genius, is also a patient teacher.

So when Tzuyu seemingly popped out of nowhere and asked her to teach her Japanese, she immediately agreed.

"Why me?" she can't help but ask as the two of them did their stretching side-by-side. "Why not Mina?" As time goes by, Mina and Tzuyu became almost as inseparable as Momo and Sana—which, according to Sana, is a sure sign that they've become more than what others think. But for Momo, who has spent a considerable amount of energy just observing the two, disagrees in a way.

Tzuyu just shrugged in reply. "I wanted to ask you." Then she added, "and I kinda wanted to surprise her."

Because, in Momo opinion, Mina and Tzuyu have yet to reach that kind of level.

So it started with a few simple phrases. The first one, in Momo's amusement, is how to say 'I love you' in Japanese. And as she passed by Mina and Tzuyu in the kitchen the next day, she can't help but laugh at the way Tzuyu is incessantly saying 'ai shiteru' to the giggling and flustered Mina.

She also can't help but smirk at the sight of Mina who was trying and failing to hide her blushing face behind her hands everytime Tzuyu tries to come closer.

So a few weeks later, she can't help but tease the younger girl on the plane as they fly to another country for a scheduled shoot. "I heard you saying that to someone earlier," Momo playfully gushed after Tzuyu said that 'ai shiteru' is her favorite Japanese phrase. "Who was it again?"

And when Tzuyu wordlessly but shamelessly pointed at Mina, Momo can't help but chuckle. "You meant those two?" she said as pointed to Sana, gesturing for Tzuyu to also include Mina's airplane buddy as the camera in Momo's hand captures their conversation.

(She also explained to Tzuyu the cultural nuances of 'I love you' in Japanese, mostly to spare Mina from potential heart attack.)

As time goes by, Momo observed how the two became closer and closer. In a way, it reminded her of her own closeness with Sana—the kind that is gradual but assured in its consistency.

And with their Japanese debut, Tzuyu became more persistent in learning the language (or, as Tzuyu calls it, 'Mina-chan's language'). But Momo, despite being a language genius, is not perfect. That meant that at times, she's also not a perfect teacher.

It's not because she gets tired of teaching Tzuyu (or the others). It's just that sometimes, her brain doesn't want to cooperate with her mouth.

It happened one day after one of their practices. Momo, after doing what she considers a tough choreography, felt too hungry to think of anything but food. And she busied herself with eating, occasionally wincing with every little movements, she felt someone sit beside her.

"Hey, unnie."

Momo just gave Tzuyu a nod as she continue to eat. And because she was too busy eating, she wasn't paying that much attention when the younger girl asked, "how do you say 'You are pretty' in Japanese?"

"Who are you saying it to?" she automatically asked, only feeling half-invested in the conversation as she pick up a piece of jokbal. "Mina?"

"Yep."

Maybe it's because she was too busy eating. Maybe it's also because—as she explained later to Sana who couldn't stop laughing to her face—she has been talking exclusively in Korean for years now. But it took Momo full five minutes after saying "Mina-chan wa utskushii desu" to realize that she should've said something else.

And as she passed by the kitchen again, she can't help the sheepish grin she gave to the surprised and very much flustered Mina when Tzuyu repeated Momo's words to her.

"Momo taught you that, didn't she?" She also can't help the eyeroll she gave at Sana's accurate assessment—her traitor of a friend now pointing her way while laughing as Tzuyu look at her with a confused expression.

Later on, when an embarrassed Tzuyu whined to her about teaching her something not even real-life Japanese couples would dare say to each other, Momo just shrugged nonchalantly and told her it's not that big of a deal.

"Why are you so embarrassed, anyway? You've already said 'neomu areumdawo' to her on a live radio broadcast. It's practically the same thing."

And when Tzuyu just glared at her in reply, she just chuckled before giving the other girl a playful pat on the head. "Just say 'Mina-chan wa kirei desu' next time, okay?"

Momo might not be a perfect teacher, but she is still a language genius. So when she noticed the ever-present blush in Mina's face as Tzuyu repeated the modified phrase, Momo can't help but realize that it's only a matter of time before those two become more than what others think of them.

Or, in other works, like Momo and Sana.

* * *

Momo, despite being the language genius that she is, can't help but envy Tzuyu's way with words.

"I want you to be always healthy, so you can continue to show the world your beautiful self."

And as Mina turned to Dahyun to say her wishes for the other girl, Momo can still see the blush in her friend's face.

It's not the first time Tzuyu has said those words to Mina. Throughout the years, various arrangements of the same sentiment were said over and over again—even in front of the camera—and Mina will always get flustered every time.

And because Momo is a language genius, she can see how those sentiments will always have an effect even at times when Mina is trying to be nonchalant about it. In time, even those who are not a language genius such as herself eventually noticed it.

"You never talk that way to me," Nayeon once commented to Tzuyu with a pout. "You're so biased, Tzuyu."

As always, their youngest will just shrug and smile and won't say any word even as their eldest continue to whine and demand to be complimented, too. Momo, in those times, will look at Mina's way and will observe the subtle smirk she's trying to hide as Tzuyu continue to act deaf to Nayeon's playful demands.

"Stop bugging our youngest." Jeongyeon, as usual, will come to Tzuyu's defense whenever Nayeon is involved. "She'll only say it when she means it."

"Yeah. Tzuyu is an honest person, unnie. Don't make her tell a lie." After saying that, Chaeyoung immediately ran as fast as she could as their eldest ran after her while shouting threats everyone knows she will never follow through.

"Our Tzuyu is such an honest person, isn't she?" Sana commented to no one in particular as she sat beside Mina. "Does she still say 'ai shiteru' to you, Mina?"

Momo, despite herself, can't help but laugh at the casual and innocent way Sana asked her question. But Mina, probably understanding the implication of the other girl's words, just chuckled in reply before declaring (a bit loudly) that she needed to do some shopping today.

And when it's just the three of them left in the living room when Jeongyeon declared that she's going to check on Chaeyoung to see if she's still alive, Sana then turned to Tzuyu and asked the same question.

The younger girl tilted her head on one side, seemingly confused. "All the time, unnie. Why?"

Momo, despite being the language genius that she is, can't help but envy Tzuyu's way of speaking. And as Sana laughed out loud before playfully patting Tzuyu's head while saying "it's nothing", Momo wonders if it's the reason why Mina likes Tzuyu so much.

* * *

"Do you think Mina is like us?"

"You mean in love?"

After laughing at the way Sana playfully smacked her arm, Momo paused before answering. "To be honest? I still don't know," she said as they continue to walk.

Hawaii, in Momo's opinion, is a place that she can liken to paradise. With its lush trees and picture-perfect scenery, it's a place where even breathing feels like a calming drink to her otherwise parched self.

"This is amazing," the girl beside her cooed with a bright smile as the they walk around the island side by side.

"You know what's more amazing?"

At the curious look in Sana's face, Momo gently took her hand with a smile. "Being here with you, of course."

And as the the younger girl playfully smack her arm again, a little blush on her cheeks that made Momo feel smug, the two the continue walking peacefully as they admire the beautiful scenery around them.

"But you agree that she likes Tzuyu that way, right?"

Momo just hummed in agreement. They have roamed around the island until it got dark and they're now currently sitting at a bench situated at a park. The night is peaceful and the sky beautifully dotted with stars—the kind of night that lovers enjoy. "And Tzuyu likes her that way, too," she added after a long pause.

"Do you think they're in love?"

"It's something only they know," Momo answered with a serene smile. "And something only they could figure out if they aren't aware of it already."

And after enjoying a moment of peace under the stars—Sana pointing at different constellations and teaching the wide-eyed Momo where and how to look for them—while wondering when they'll get another chance like this again, the two then decided to explore more.

One of the best thing in Hawaii, in Momo's opinion, is Hawaiian dancing. Hula, as she has gathered, is a kind of dance that tells a story—with every minute movements representing words and emotions that no verbal language can truly express. And Momo, the language _and_ the dance genius that she is, appreciates how two worlds can perfectly merge together to create something beautiful.

"I like it here. I wish we could stay longer."

Momo just nodded in agreement as the two of them watch the Hawaiian natives tell a fascinating story through dancing.

And when everything is done and they're now back home, Momo can't help but think of Hawaii again.

"Do you want some more?"

"I'm good. Wait, Tzuyu. Come here." Mina then carefully wiped Tzuyu's lips with a tissue, all the while gently scolding the girl for not being careful as the younger girl just gave a sheepish grin in reply.

And as Mina wordlessly gestured to Tzuyu and the younger girl immediately understood it when she reached out for a glass of water, Momo can see that some things has never changed.

And when Tzuyu turned to Mina later on with a cute pout and the other girl just casually spooned a piece of cake and fed it to the younger girl, Momo idly wonders if she just didn't notice the changes.

And after the dinner is done and they all stood up, Momo noticed Mina's familiar action of leading Tzuyu—with her arm around the younger girl's waist—and tried to think back on when and how such action became so familiar in her eyes.

And as the two sat at the very back, heads close to each other as they whisper words she can't hear, she was reminded of Hawaii again.

Hawaiian dancing, as she remembered, is a kind of dance that tells a story. And Momo, the language genius that she is, understands how words can also be expressed through movements and actions.

And when she observed the two giving each other smiles only reserved for them as they cuddle close to each other, Momo can't help but give herself a metaphorical pat in the back for being fluent in a language that most can't even understand.

* * *

**End**

**Author's Note:**

> A/N:
> 
>  **Beautiful** = "utskushii" / "areumdawo"  
>  **Pretty** = "kirei"


End file.
